As many before me have done, I am comparing the teachings of Jesus and Lao Tzu.  I will be posting verses from the Tao Teh Ching and the New Testament of the Bible.  Following the readings will be commentary elucidating the common themes.  This work is personal and subjective.  I am sharing the product of my devotional time with you as an act of love and an invitation to celebrate the Universal Divine.

June 10, 2010

Heaven is everlasting and Earth is perpetual.

Why so? Because they live

without holding onto any consciousness of self.

Therefore, they can endure forever.

One who does not separate his being

from the nature of universal wholeness

lives with the universal virtue of wholeness.

He, too, dissolves all consciousness of self

and lives as the universe.

By putting himself behind others,

he finds himself foremost.

By not considering his own personal ends,

his personal life is accomplished.

He finds himself safe, secure and preserved.

Because he does not hold a narrow concept of self,

his true nature can fully merge

with the one universal life.

-TAO TE CHING, CHAPTER 7.

For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. –II CORINTHIANS 5:1

For thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. –MATTHEW 6:8

But many who are first will be last: and the last, first. –MATTHEW 19:30

But the greatest among you shall be your servant.  And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled: and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. –MATTHEW 23:11-12

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself. –PHILIPPINANS 2:3

In Chapter Seven of the Tao The Ching we first encounter the theme of the eternal nature of Spirit.  Our bodies die, but we perceive the Universe as everlasting.  This common thread unites diverse traditions.

How can we access the eternal within ourselves?  Where does our identity merge with the Universal identity?  How are we One and how do we access the One? The way to do this according to Lao Tzu is to “live without holding onto any consciousness of self.”  What does this mean?  Put others before yourself.  Seek to attain the quality of humility.  Jesus taught the same principle of selfless service.

In a culture of self-consciousness, we are often at odds with these teachings.   We are preoccupied with our appearance and outward success.  Looking in the mirror, we see only ourselves.

Can we be self-aware without being self-conscious?  If so, is this self-love? Jesus taught, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself—there is no greater commandment.” –MARK 12:31

When our awareness shifts from ego to love, we touch our eternal nature and become one with the Universe.  This is our challenge.

The scriptural passages above are from The Complete Works of Lao Tzu, Translation and Elucidation by Hua-Ching Ni, and The New American Standard Bible.

See more posts by Michelle Garrison-Hough

Latest posts in the The Tao and The Kingdom of God series:

• Part Three: The Tao and the Kingdom of God
• The Tao and The Kingdom of God: Part Two
• Part One: The Tao and The Kingdom of God

Series, The Tao and The Kingdom of God